Capitulation.
This is a film with genuine substance: family and the dysfunction within; women's rights in Iran; state-sanctioned oppression and its impact on everyone. I was thinking two thirds of a way through that it would be hard to find a more effective way to make a film related to the death of Mahsa Amini more impactful than doing it through the lens of this family.
I wasn't expecting the combo ode to The Shining and Benny Hill at the end. But you know what, I was here for it.
For a documentary purporting to be about life, this was incredibly lifeless. It felt empty and devoid of substance. No coherent narrative and lots of tenuous links between birds and life.
There is some genuinely impressive camera work and shot composition, so hats off to the DOPs and cinematography team. But I'm not sure what the editors were doing. It felt like they'd shot about 100 minutes of footage and just used all of it. I reckon if you cut…
I'm pretty glad it's over.
For anyone thinking of doing the Alien movies in chronological order for the first time like I just did, you can absolutely stop after Aliens. Please, for the love of God, stop after Aliens.
